Why are there not more female leaders, and could culture be one of the factors that holds women back? This Idea proposes that the strength of norms and social sanctions in a culture — its ‘tightness’ — determines how many women will be represented in top leadership positions there.

To successfully promote women to leadership positions around the globe, multinational corporation executives must adapt their strategies to each country’s cultural tightness — the degree to which a culture favors authority and rigidity, and has a low tolerance for deviance.